Earth Equity News

Restoration of Fabled Iraqi Marshes Hampered by Syrian and Turkish Water Diversion Projects. By Ernesto Londoño, WashPost, July 24, 2009. "Water has begun flowing again through southern Iraq's fabled marshes, a vast reservoir in this arid region that had all but vanished by the time the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 gave it a lifeline. But six years later, the revival of the marshes... remains uncertain. A prolonged drought and disputes between Iraq and two of its neighbors, Syria and Turkey, over the diversion of water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have hampered the Iraqi government's $150 million effort to restore the marshlands. The number of fish -- long central to the diet of Marsh Arabs, who have inhabited this area for millennia -- has decreased so sharply in recent years."